King Charles III, 75, must be hospitalized next week due to benign prostate enlargement, Buckingham Palace announced on Wednesday.
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“Like thousands of men each year, the king consulted for an enlarged prostate. “His Majesty’s condition is benign and he will go to hospital next week for a corrective procedure,” the palace announced in a brief statement.
“The king’s public engagements will be postponed for a short recovery period,” the text specifies.
This is the first time since his accession to the throne on September 8, 2022 upon the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II that the palace has publicly discussed the state of health of the sovereign.
Prostate hypertrophy is a very common pathology in men of a certain age and which, if left untreated, can lead to a progressive deterioration in bladder function as well as urinary infections.
This announcement comes as Princess Kate, wife of Charles’s eldest son, Prince William, is hospitalized for at least 10 days in London after an abdominal operation which was successful but forced her to suspend her obligations until end of March.